There are some mentions of torture and healing from torture.
There is still no beta.
Enjoy!
000
In the end, the Fire Giants hadn't needed to look for Natasha, because she found them. And in the end, she barely needed to fight because Hulk wasn't giving anyone the chance and any monster he may have missed, Stark was quick to destroy.
The building they were in was like a maze. There were doors everywhere and checking each one was maddening. Natasha held her breath each time she opened one hoping she would see Loki somewhere. Hulk could no longer hear the sound, which meant Loki might have passed out but it didn't stop her and Frigga from screaming out his name hoping he would call out.
The Avengers spread out thinking it would be easier to find him in the thirteen floor building. In the end, it her and Frigga that found Loki in a locked room chained and sagging in a chair. They could see him through the glass window but getting in was proving difficult. None of Natasha's picks were working on the lock and she was getting frustrated.
"Stark!" She pressed to the button on the earpiece. "Stark we found him on the fifth floor. We can't get in the door, come quick."
Frigga grabbed Natasha's arm to pull her back. "He's bleeding out. We don't have time to wait." With a harsh swift kick the door swung open.
Though highly impressed with Frigga's strength, she was more interested in getting to Loki. "Loki!" Natasha screamed. "Loki, we're here." She pulled his hair out his face and noticed there was glue on his eyes and the barbed stiches in his mouth. "Oh Loki, please honey wake up."
Frigga placed a hand on his face, blue magic seeping through her finger tips. "The collar is blocking my magic." She said before adding. "He's alive."
He groaned suddenly trying desperately to get out of bonds. "No Loki, sit still." He quieted though his breathing was ragged and labored. "Natasha, we have to get this off him. Without it he will be unable to heal himself or be healed."
Natasha fumbled with the collar trying to find a lock she could pick or a way to take it off. "There is no way to get it off."
"I could try to burn it off." Neither woman noticed the other Avengers making their way to them. "I won't burn through to the skin, maybe we could try to break it off once it's weakened."
"We have to try." Frigga said before looking at her son's sweaty and pale face. "Loki, we're all here, just stay strong a little longer.
Though he didn't make a noise, she noticed him trying to control his breathing, trying calm down when he was in such obvious pain.
Carefully, Stark started to use his lasers to burn it through the collar while Natasha held his head still and his mother pulled at the metal. It took some time, but soon it released and they quickly worked through his other bonds quickly.
Once free Loki's hand gripped at his throat trying to signal to them the distress he was in. Still unable to open his eyes, he was panicked and his fear was startling to all those there. None of them, not even Thor, had ever seen him do stricken with it.
"Brother," Thor grabbed at his hands before he could scratch at his neck any more. "We're trying to get you better, please, you must calm down." He looked at Natasha. "What is this on his eyes? If he had his sight…"
Loki suddenly moved off the chair in an obvious defensive move, though they couldn't figure out what he was defending himself from. Bruce reverted back to human form and took Thor's place hold his hands. "Loki, it's alright. You are using more strength moving like this." Loki seemed to calm down.
Tony went to grab him to fly him home. "We have to get him back to the lab we don't have anything to treat him with here."
"No." Frigga said. "We have to get his mouth open. I think they put rocks in his throat. That's why he's scratching his throat. He won't survive transport like this."
"Rocks?" Bruce shook his head unable to imagine why someone would do that. "Why rocks?"
"They are hot rocks. They are burning him from the inside. He's probably got more sewn into his body."
Natasha was barely holding it together. She couldn't imagine the pain he was in. She had been tortured before too, but never to this extent. It was the Captain that noticed her spiraling and went to grab her before she could let on her distress.
"Hold it in Tash." He whispered in her ear. "He needs strength."
She nodded. "How can we get his mouth open?"
"I can't burn through the barbed wire and removing it will cause excessive blood loss."
She looked to Natasha. "Hold him still. I will rip out and use my magic to close the wounds." Blue magic seeped through her finger tips again as she touched her son. "This will hurt Loki."
"Wait!" Captain screamed. "You are talking about ripping barbed wire out of his mouth. The pain, the blood loss…"
"We have no time for this Captain. I understand you are the leader of this little group but this is my child gasping for breath. The pain will be brief, my magic will stop the bleeding."
At her words, his body relaxed and he tried to stay as still as possible for Natasha who was whispering in his ears to stay calm. And then, with one sure move, Frigga ripped the barbed wire off her son's mouth and then covered it with her hands. He yelped, before groaning in what sounded like a moan of relief before sagging into Natasha's arms.
000
Thor sat, hands in his lap, as healers from both Asgard and Midgard were running around in hopes of saving his brother's life. No one seemed to think he'd make it through the night in fact they were surprised he was living at all.
This wasn't what was supposed to happen. When he told the Fire Giant's to take care of Natasha, he told them to do it by any means, but he didn't mean this. He never even mentioned Loki and didn't think they'd really have much trouble finding her. But then, he didn't know his brother was sharing a home with the woman. He was under the impression that Loki was staying in Stark's Tower, well removed and at a safe distance. He really thought it would be as simple as giving them her address.
It wasn't until after Loki was rescued that he found out the Giants went to Natasha's home as they were supposed to and when they didn't find her, they found some of his brother's things. Since they couldn't track Natasha, they tracked Loki.
Why didn't he just tell them where she was? Even if he didn't know the exact location, he knew the country. Any information would have been sufficient and it would never have come to this.
This wasn't what he wanted.
He jumped when someone touched his hand, unaware that anyone else was in the room with him. "Natasha."
"How are you holding up?" She was sitting across from him looking tired and sad.
He doesn't know how to respond to that, not her words or her appearance. This was the reason for all the problems and she was asking him how he was. "How's Loki?"
"The Asgardian healers are working on simply keeping his heart beating and keeping him out of pain as the doctor's from here have removed the hot rocks and have stitched him up. His temperature is too high. Once they are finished operating, we are going to start give him ice baths." She looked haggard, tired and weak. It was evident that she loved Loki, but love was never really in question.
Thor was at a loss of words. He really didn't know what to say to this woman who had taken his brother away. "How are you?"
She shrugged looking for the right words. "I'm, confused." She finally confessed. "What would a Fire Giant want with me?" But that really wasn't what was bothering her. No, it was something else that kept running through her mind since they returned. "And why didn't he just give me up?" She asked Thor as if he could answer her. "I don't understand. The tortures they put him through were to get to me. He knew where I was. Why didn't he just tell them?"
"Because he is a prince." The sound of Odin's voice startled them both. "And even more than that, he is a man. It is his duty to protect those he loves."
Thor stood up. "Father." It was rare that he left the palace and even the times he had were never for Loki. "What are you doing here?"
"My son was tortured and left for dead by Fire Giants. I am here to see to his welfare and to see if this were the actions of a few or if Midgard is ready for a war against these beasts that came uninvited into this realm and decided to use an Asagardian Prince as a means to an end."
Thor blanched. War? That would mean questioning the Fire Giants. Surely they would tell them about his visit and his payment for sending assassins. What would Odin do once he realized the enemy was in his own family?
"I'm sure this was not an act of war." Thor stated. "They seemed to only want one Midgardian woman. The threat has been neutralized."
"Neutralized?" Odin asked. "There is nothing that has happened that says it won't happen again."
This was getting away from Thor faster than he liked. He was never one to plan ahead, that's what Loki was for. "Then let me inquire Father. I will get to the bottom of this."
Odin nodded. "Very well." He looked at Natasha. "I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances."
Natasha nodded not sure what she could even say. A strong feeling of guilt washed over her. These people gave her their son to take care of and it was because of her that he was standing with one leg in death.
Frigga joined them before any more conversation could be had. Pulling Odin's hand into her own she informed them of Loki's condition. "They've put him in an ice bath. The Midargardian doctors are sure this will help lower his temperature. The Adgardian healers are unsure how he's still living."
Thor looked at his mother who looked like she aged years in just two days. "Is there nothing more we can do?"
"Unfortunately Loki is Jotun, and none of them are going to be quick to come down to help him heal. Midgardians seem to have good ideas about how to lower his temperature. Our doctors are looking into any other survivors of this torture."
Natasha stood up unable to hear any more about how bleak his outcome looked. She would not write him off yet. "Is he conscious?"
"He fades in and out." Frigga answered taking the seat Natasha had vacated. "And when he is all his wants is something cold to drink." Frigga watched as Natasha went into a cabinet and pulled out a small blue vile. "What is that?"
"Vitamins." She grabbed a glass of water and dropped some ice cubes in it. "One of your servants, um Vlor I think, gave it to me to give to Loki."
"Vlor?" Odin stood up, eyes suddenly bright. "Let me see it."
Natasha handed it over after pouring a drop in. "He said to give it to him a drop at a time. He said it was for Frost Giants."
Odin smelled the blue liquid. "This could be why he is still alive. And Vlor, you said gave this to you." Natasha nodded as Odin's smile was wide. "Vlor! Heimdall!" And without word, Odin went to retrieve the servent.
